An original antique, hand-colored Camelia botanical engraving, one of the classics from the Botanique section of D'Orbigny's epic Natural History Atlas.

The drawing, detail work in the stipple-engraving, the coloring  'A La poupee' (colored in the plate) & hand-finishing are remarkable. 

Generally one only finds these as reproductions, giclees & such anymore. I happen to have this scarce original antique copy in my collection.

This is a true find. If you're looking for an original antique copy to make giclees from, or just to frame & stare at in awe on your wall, here's a very rare chance to acquire one.

The Volumes: Dictionnaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle (Dictionary of Natural History) was edited by the French naturalist Charles Henry Dessalines d'Orbigny (1802-1857). Regarded as one of the best illustrated encyclopedias of natural history, the Atlas volumes featured exquisitely detailed and scientifically accurate illustrations that appeal to both the academic and artistic eye. Other topics in the series included mammals, birds, insects, fish, etc. published by Renard & Martinet of Paris. The superb, beautifully hand colored plates are from the leading French artists of the day such as Susemihl, Traviès, Oudart and Pretre. The order, genus & species is on each print in Latin & French.

Every part of these prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books.

Condition: Appears to be in good to very good condition for a centuries-old engraving. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted. Typical age-toning & character for a print this old. Scanners seem to have a lot of trouble with these prints in terms of getting accurate colors, the red in the scans is a bit more intense than the actual, & the detail in the veining of the petals isn't really showing in the scans, it's a beautiful print.

These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.

Text Page(s): This one comes without original text page(s) as those were bound separately. I've added a scan of a sample cover page from one of the volumes to the listing photos for reference, it's not part of the listing.

About this gorgeous plant:

• Camellia japonica, known as common camellia, or Japanese camellia, is a species of Camellia, a flowering plant genus in the family Theaceae. 
• There are thousands of cultivars of C. japonica in cultivation, with many colors and forms of flowers. 
• Despite its common name, it is native to China, not Japan. The cultivation of Camellia japonica also started in China. Its widespread cultivation can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, when 15 varieties of Camellia japonica were recorded in literature. It was later introduced to Japan. It grows in forests, at altitudes of around 300–1,100 metres (980–3,600 ft).

Size: 6" x 9-1/2" inches approximately.

Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you'd like to combine & need more time to choose, please send a message & we'll do our best to oblige. If you're assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we'll endeavor to refund any overage asap.

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